Is 'Captain America: The Winter Solider' The Best Marvel Movie? We Compare The Reviews
As American fans are gearing up to experience Captain America: The Winter Solider, the reviews are coming in and it looks like this could be Marvel’s greatest offering yet. As the ninth installment from the Marvel Cinematic Universive, Captain America: The Winter Solider has a lot of competition if it wants to be known as Marvel's finest movie. Just to compare, we’ve taken a look back at the reviews for Marvel’s previous cinematic outings to see just how Captain America: The Winter Solider really measures up.
Iron Man (2008)
If you can, cast your mind back to 2008, when we had our first instalment of the Marvel cinematic universe and Robert Downey Jr dawned the Iron Man suit for the first time. In the film that kicked it all off, Downey delivered a career resurrecting performance and the critics lined up to praise the movie. The consensus from Rotten Tomatoes reads. ‘director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey make this smart, high impact superhero movie one that even non-comics fans can enjoy’ and the movie holds a 93% rating on the site.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Just over two months later, the second Marvel instalment, The Incredible Hulk, came our way, with Edward Norton taking on the role. The character had previously had a millennial movie outing in 2003, but this reboot set to reimagine the Hulk giving him a new backstory. Reviews were mostly favourable, with Rotten Tomatoes saying it ‘provides the action and excitement to please comic book fans and re-ignite this fledgling franchise’, overall however, its fresh rating only stands at 67%, comparatively lower than Iron Man.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Downey Jnr returned to our screens in 2010 in a sequel to the successful Iron Man and the third instalment in Marvel’s cinematic universe. The film introduced audiences to Scarlett Johansson’s character who would later become the Black Widow. Whilst it beat its predecessor at the box office critics found the second Iron Man instalment not quite as exciting as the first. Rotten Tomatoes rounds up the reception by saying, ‘it isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot’ and puts its fresh rating at 73%.
Thor (2011)
Next came the turn of Thor, who got his big screen outing in 2011 with Chris Hemsworth in the title role and Tom Hiddleston as his adoptive brother and foe Loki. Mostly critics responded positively to the god of thunder on the big screen, which certainly delivered on the action front. Rotten Tomatoes calls it ‘a dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humour, and human drama,Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment’ and gives it a 77% fresh rating, putting it above the Hulk's debut but below Iron Man’s.
Next page: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The first avenger invaded our screens three months after Thor with Chris Evans as the super solider Steve Rogers. Set during World War II, Captain America’s debut combined a retro setting with action worthy Marvel’s cinematic outings. As Rotten Tomatoes describes it, ‘with plenty of pulpy action, a pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances, Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment’, overall it landed a very respectable 79% fresh rating.
The Avengers (2012)
Finally in 2012 we saw the first on screen union of the Avengers, as Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Black Widow came together with Joss Whedon in the directors chair. The hype was of course tremendous, but luckily the movie delivered, with both the critics and at the box office. ‘With a script that never forgets its heroes' humanity and no shortage of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype -- and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies’, said Rotten Tomatoes, who gives it a very impressive 92% rating, putting it just below the first Iron Man movie.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
For Marvel’s seventh cinematic instalment Tony Stark was back again in Iron Man 3, this time Shane Black took over directing duties from Jon Favreau. In his third solo adventure Iron Man took his highest box office gross so far, taking well over $1billion at the box office. Holding a 78% fresh rating, Rotten Tomatoes writes, ‘with the help of its charismatic lead, some impressive action sequences, and even a few surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and a strong addition to the Marvel canon.’ As far as its rating goes, Iron Man’s 3rd instalment topped the second, but didn't quite capture the original’s magic.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor’s second outing came last year when Chris Hemsworth picked up his hammer again, but this time he’d have to team with his brother Loki to save the Nine Realms. As before, Hemsworth and Hiddleston received praise for their roles, but the film didn't receive as much acclaim as previous Marvel outings. With a 65% rating, Thor: The Dark World, ranks as the worst Marvel movie so far, in the eyes of Rotten Tomatoes. Still it’s certified fresh with the site saying, ‘it may not be the finest film to come from the Marvel Universe, but Thor: The Dark World still offers plenty of the humor and high-stakes action that fans have come to expect’.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
That brings us now to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which has already had its UK release and is hitting US theatres on April 4th. So far the reviews having been almost overwhelmingly positive and it currently holds a 91% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, which calls it, ‘suspenseful and politically astute, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior entry in the Avengers canon and is sure to thrill Marvel diehards’. A 91% rating casts it just below the first Marvel cinematic adventure Iron Man and The Avengers. Still the reviews are coming in thick and fast and so far it all really is very good. So is Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel's finest movie? Well actually, it might just be.
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